Beyan s



(No Model.)

B. S. WAKE'MAN.

GANOPENER.

No. 338,211. Patented Mar. 16,- 1886.

4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BRYAN S. VVAKEMAN, OF BATAVIA, ASSIGN OR OF ELEVEN-TVVENTIETHS T0SAMPSON E. TUCKER, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

CN-OPENER.

SPECIPICA'I'ION forming part of Letters Patent No. 338,211, dated March16, 1886.

Application filed November 23, 1885. Serial No. 183,705, (No mode.)

To all w7wm it may concern:

Be it known thai; I, BRYAN S. WAKEMAN, of the town of Batava, county ofGenesee, and State of New York, have invented a new and usefu].Improvement in Can-Openers, of wheh the followiug 1's a specification.

My1'nvention relates to that; class of devices known as can-openers; andits object is to produce and offer to the public a manufaetured articlethai: Wl1 furnsh the most economieal and expedibious means of openingsheet-metal cans.

Aecompanyiug and formng a. part; of this specifieation is one plate ofdmwngs containng four figures illustratng my inventon, in all of which1ike letters refer to corresponding parts.

Figure 1 is aperspective of my improved can-opener. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 8 s a view of the cubterend thumb-nut. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the shank endeutter, taken on the line 04 cc.

Referring to the drawings, H is the handle, and B the shank, of thecan-opener. S is a longitudnal slot in said shank.

K is a hook projecting forwmdly from the end of the shank B, its planebeing lower than that of the lower surfaee of the shank B.

M M are grooves or channels, broken by the slot S in the under surfaceof the shank.

0 is t-he cutter, composed of the threaded haft a and the triangularblade a, the edges a, and a being beveled 011 both sides.

D s the thumb-fiut, working on the threaded haft; a of the cubter C.

T0 construct my improved canopener, the handle H, shank B, and hook Kare usually cast in one piece, as being the simpler end cheaper method;but 0f eoursethey 02m be con strucbed separately and of differentmaterials, and joined together. The cutter C, being entire1y separate,is joined to the shank B by passing t-he hafb a up through the slot S,and nhen adjusting to il; the thumb nutD. Of course, when the latter sturned sufficently to bring it 130 bear on the upper surface of theshank B, by tightening the pressare of the thumb-nut, the upper edge, a,of the cutterblade a is dra.wn firxnly against the under surface of thesaid shank end into one of the grooves or channels M M, the 1:Ltterserving to hold the cutter firmly in place, and 150 prevent; it; fromeither turning or from being moved from that point of the shank.

In using bhs improved ean-opener the pointed hook K is firsb pushedthrough the sheet metal ab about: the center of the top of the can. Thethumb-nub D being loosened, the cutter 0 is moved along the slot S ntlii; reaches a point on the shank B suitabe to the size of the aut to bemade, when the thumbnut is tightened and the cutter firm1y fixed inposibion by the edge a beng held in one of che grooves or ehannels M M.Then, by push- 1'ng down on the handle, che hook K, through being on alower plane than the upper sur fece of the shank B, serving as a fulcrumWibhout again puncturing the sheet metal, the triangular blade a isforced through the sheeb metal, and by moving the can-opener around uponthe hook K as a pivot a complete circular opening is out in the sheetmetal. The edges a end a of the cutter-blade are beveled on bobh sides,the ef'tect of which in cutbing is to turn down both edges of the sheebmetal and do away With any sharp outwardly-projecting edges.

Having thus described my invention, whal: I clam, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, s-

In a can opener, t-he combnation of the cutter 0 and thumb-nut D wibhche handle H and shank B, said shank being provided with theforwardly-projecting hook K, lshe longitudnal slot S, aud the grooves 01channels M M, the latter to prevent the eutter from slipping from anypoint of the said shauk ai; which it; may be set, constructed andoperabed substantially as hereinbefore set: forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand bhis 19th day ofNovember, 1885.

BRYAN S. WAKEMAN.

In resence of- GEO. R. WILSON, F. W. BOOTH.

